Shoe



Oct. 7, 1941. SCHWARTZ SHOE Filed Sept. 17, 1940 I I I I.

' INVENTOR. 7" REDEE/0K SCHWARTZ A TTOPNEY Patented Oct. 7, 1941 PATEN'I? F FIECE 7 Frederick Schwartz, Brooklyn, N; Y Application September17, 1940, Serial No. 357,018 7 Claims. (91. 3652.5)

This invention relates to improvements in shoes; 1 and moreparticularlyto y detachable heels.

Objects Among the principal objects; which the present invention has in,View are: toprovide an improved shoe: construction whereby" varyingheights of heels may be removably attached and detached from a fixedheel portion thereof to provide means-for securely attaching a secondaryheely to thexheel portion of a shoe; to utilize meansfer detaching; asecondary heel from the heel portion of a shoe; to provide means foradjusti-ng theforwardpart-of a shoe in accordance with the height ofheel-removably attached to a heel portion or the shoerto be enabled touse any height-heelon a shoe: without distorting the shoe construction;to secure simplicity of constructionand operation; andtoobtain otheradvantages and results as may-be brought out in the followingdescription. j

Drawing Figure 1 a longitudinal-- section or partof a shoe embodying myinvention; t

,Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view shown as taken on line Evy-2 ofFigure 1-;

Figures 3 and 4 are side elevation and top plan views of one of theoperating parts used in connection with theinven-tion; and.

Figures 5, tollinclus' veam elevations; of several other parts usedinconnection with the invention. 'j r j l v Description Asmwi-ll be seenfrom the drawing, -the several strluctiorr of a shoe l5 and the partsutilized for operating when desiring to removably attach or detachsecondary heels of varying heightsto a fixed heel portion [6. As will bereadily seen the portion or a shoe illustrated may be: adapted fonuse bywomen, though it is to beu'nderstood thatthe invention is notnecessarily restricted; towwomens shoes, asikthe invention veryconveniently can be; usedin the construction of shoes for m enyas:Welland for many purposes. The showing of the shoe l5 and fixed heelportion lfi includes the usualzinsole l1, outer sole l8 andbackportiorilQ.

In: carrying out the invention the fixed heel portion Hi may beconveniently attached to the back of the shoe in accordance with'methodsemployed in manufacturing shoes and as will be understood by thoseskilledin the art. Said fixed heelm-ayconveniently? be provided with at.

recess ZEI- and as providing ashoulder 21; which extends from theinsidepart thereof-j and outwardly towards the back part with the recessextending all the way tothetop of the heel thereby 1 providing an; openfront; and topfor substantially the widthioi said-heel; Said: heelmaypreferably be provided with an angularly disposed opening 22- extendingupwardly from the bottom of the: heel to the shoulder portion 2|andtowards the outer part thereof, the purpose of Y which willhereinafter be-describedu Other open ings 23 and 24 likewise areprovidedsaid fi-Xed heel, with the on said opening 23-being towards theinnerside of the heel and the other said opening. approximately centrally ofsaid heel-.1 In the construction of the shoe and fixed'heel there may beprovided a shankziron- 25 with its forward part imbedded between the;inner sole I 1 and:

outer Solo 18. The said shank iron towards its other end is shaped toprovide a pai-rof downwardly bent ears 2B, 26 along the edges thereofwith each said ear having a hole 2'l,through whichris inserted a pin 28-thereby allowing the shank to beapivoted and adjusted as desired. Ad-

; jacent the outer ends-of the said shank iron an elongatedopening- 29is, provided. The shank ironprotruding away from the earsZB 26 towardsthe outer end may normally be angularly disposed so as toengag a metalor the like plate 311 held fast with respect to the shoulder 2i byvirtue of a bolt 3| extending upwardly through the opening 23. i

A bolt 32 is loosely inserted in the opening 22' of the fixed heel I6and threaded upwardly throughtheplate 3|]. The upper end of said bolt 32preferably is of adiameter slightly less than the body portion with saidpart passing through the openingzll of. the shank iron and providing afurther reduced portion to which a collar 33 may b securely attached.Since the portionof the bolt passing through the elongated opening 29 isof a reduced diameter there will beysufiicient clearance on either sidewhereby when the shank is adjusted to a raised position by virtue ofadjusting the threaded bolt 32, the clearance will allow properadjustment. 5

As shown in Figure 1 a low heel 34 is illustrated as removably attachedto the fixed heel l6 and which may be considered an important feature ofthe present invention. The showing is of a low heel or cuban heel and isprovided with a lift 34" on the bottom thereof; An opening 35 extendscentrally and inwardly from the inner wall-towards theback part of theheel and a vertically disposed rectangular opening 36' extends upwardlyfrom the bottom of the heel to the top and preferably bisects thehorizontal opening 35. Said rectangular opening 36 in practice is inregistration with the opening 24 of the fixed heel it. A hollowrectangular shaped tubular member 33 is secured within the verticallydisposed opening 36' and preferably extends the entire thickness of saidheel, but not including the lift 34'. Said member preferably may beprovided with a cut-away portion 37 substantially the width of saidmember and terminating approximately midway of the member and providinga shoulder 33 with said shoulder centrally of the opening 35. Anotheropening 39 is provided on the side opposite to the opening 31 and may beof a siz approximately one-half that of the said opening 31. This secondopening likewise preferably terminates about midway of the member and asproviding a shoulder in registration with the shoulder 38. The saidmember 36 is held fast with respect to the opening 36 with the largeropening 3'! preferably facing towards the inner side of the heel and thsmaller opening 39 facing the back of the heel.

Another feature of the present invention resides in the means utilizedin removably looking a low or high heel to the fixed heel l6 of the shoel5. Such means preferably comprises a locking member or plunger 40 of alength less than the length of the horizontal opening 35 and preferablyengages a coil spring il placed in the said opening. This said plungerfill approximately midway may be provided with a notch 42 which extendssubstantially the diametrical thickness of the plunger and a secondnotch 43 adjacent the said first notch of a depth approximately one-halfthe diameter of the plunger. Both said notches in actual practice engagethe respective openings 31 and 33 of the member 33 when desiring toattach or detach the heel 34 from the shoe.

Other means extend downwardly from the fixed heel l6 through thevertical opening 24 and the opening 36' of the removable heel. Saidmeans preferably comprises a T-shaped member 34, clearly shown inFigures and 6, and at one end of the top part thereof is bent upwardlyto form a pair of ears d5 having openings 43. These ears and openings asshown in Figure 2 register with the ears 26 and openings 21 of the shank25 and preferably support the shank iron by virtue of the pin 28 whichallows a swinging movement of the shank when the bolt 32 is adjustingsaid shank in either upward or downward direction. The end opposite tothe ears 35 is fiat and is provided with ,a hole l! and is juxtaposed tothe shoulder 2| with the plate 32 overlying a portion thereof. The holeM is in registration with the opening 23 and held fast to the shoulderand plate 30 by the bolt 24 thereby preventing any lateral or othermovement of the T-shaped member when the shank iron 25 is beingadjusted.

A stem 43 integral with the top portion of the T-shaped member M extendsdownwardly into the opening 36 and is of a width substantially that ofthe inside diameter of the tubular member 33. Said stem at its lower endis provided with an open slot 49, the top of which protrudes slightlybeyond the notches 42 and 43 and openings 31 and 39 and thereby preventsdislodgement or removal of the plunger 43 from the heel. A notch 50 maybe provided on the one side of the stem and extending cross-wise of theslot 49 and functions as a stop for the inward and outtil) ward thrustof the plunger 40 when under the influence of the coil spring il.

In carrying out the invention and when desiring to attach heels ofvarying sizes, the forward portion of the shoe may first be adjusted toaccommodate such heels. If a high heel is to be attached, as shown indotted lines of Figures 1 and 2, the bolt 32 is screwed upwardly whichwill raise the rear end of the shank iron 25 to its uppermost position.When the rear end of the shank iron is thus raised, the forward portionof the shoe will be lowered by virtue of the pivoted connection and willassume the position as shown by the dotted lines of Figure 1. Since theforward part of the shoe has been properly adjusted the heel may now beattached. The plunger 40 is pressed inwardly so that the larger notch 42will be past the larger opening 31 of the tubular member 36 and at thesame time be in engagement with the notch 59 of the T-shaped member M.Upon releasing the inwardly directed pressure of the plunger, the saidplunger under influence of the spring ll will snap back into normalposition and the smaller notch 43 will then engage the smaller opening39 of the member 36 thereby securely locking the heel to the fixed heelE6 of the shoe. When desiring to remove either the high or low heel fromthe fixed heel portion, the same procedure as that for attaching theheel may very conveniently be followed and proper adjustment of theforward part of the shoe be carried out before attaching another heel.

Obviously detail changes and modifications may be made in theconstruction and use of my improved shoe Without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention, and I do not wish to be understood aslimiting myself to the exact construction or operation shown ordescribed except as set forth in the following claims when construed inthe light of the prior art.

I claim:

l. A shoe of the character described comprising a fixed heel portionhaving a cut-away portion, a shank iron pivotally secured therein, andmeans for adjusting said shank iron for accommodating removable heels ofvarying sizes to said fixed heel portion.

2. A shoe of the character described comprising a fixed heel portionhaving a cut-away portion, a shank iron pivotally secured therein, a T-shaped member attached in said cut-away portion, said T-shaped memberhaving a part extending downwardly through and beyond the fixed heelportion adapted to removably secure a heel of varying sizes to the fixedheel portion.

3. A shoe of the character described comprising a fixed heel portionhaving a cut-away portion, a shank iron pivotally secured therein, aT-shaped member attached in said cut-away portion, said T-shaped memberhaving a part extending downwardly through and beyond the fixed heelportion adapted to removably secure a heel of varying sizes to the fixedheel portion. and said heel providing means for locking the removableheel with respect to the fixed heel portion.

4. A shoe of the character described comprising a fixed heel portionhaving a cut-away portion, a shank iron pivotally secured therein, a T-shaped member attached in said cut-away portion, said T-shaped memberhaving a part extending downwardly through and beyond the V fixed heelportion adapted to removably secure a heel f varying sizes to the fixedheel portion, saidheel providing means for locking the removable heelwith respect to the fixed heel portion, and,

adjusting means whereby the shank iron may be raised and lowered whenaccommodating the heels of varying sizes.

5. A shoe of the character described comprising a fixed heel portionhaving a cut-away portion, a shank iron pivotally secured therein, a T-shaped member attached in said cut-away portion, said T-shaped memberhaving a part ex-" tending downwardly through and beyond the fixed heelportion adapted to removably secure a heel of varying sizes to the fixedheel portion, and said heel providing an inwardly directed plungerhaving means for engaging the downwardly extending part of the T-shapedmember for securely locking the heel to the fixed heel portion.

6. A shoe of the character described comprising a fixed [heel portionhaving a cut-away portion, a shank iron pivotally secured therein, a T-shaped member attached in said cut-away portion, said T-shaped memberhaving a part extending downwardly through and beyond the fixed heelportion adapted to removably secure a heel of varying sizes to the fixedheel portion, said heel providing an inwardly directed plunger havingmeans for engaging the downwardly extending part of the T-shaped memberfor securely locking the heel to the fixed heel portion, and anotherpart of the T-shaped member extending upwardly into the cut-away portionand held fast with respect to the pivoted shank iron.

'7. A shoe of the character described comprising a fixed heel portionhaving a cut-away portion, a shank iron pivotally secured therein, a T-shaped member attached in said cut-away portion, said T-shaped memberhaving a part extending downwardly through and beyond the fixed heelportion adapted to removably secure a heel of varying sizes to the fixedheel portion, said heel providing an inwardly directed plunger havingmeans for engaging the downwardly extending part of the T-shaped memberfor securely locking the heel to the fixed heel portion, and anotherpart of the T-shaped member extending upwardly into the cut-away portionand held fast with respect to the pivoted shank iron, and adjustingmeans extending upwardly from the fixed heel portion attached to an endof the shank iron whereby said shank iron may be adjusted dependent uponthe size of heel removably {attached to the shoe.

FREDERICK SCHWARTZ.

